Dirty dishes backed up on the way to the dishwasher (Photo: Kevin Clark/Echo Staff Photographer)

Some students have seen enough of what they deem to be poor quality food, poor customer service and unsanitary conditions in W.G. Pearson Cafeteria, and they are calling for the management to make improvements.

About 100 students staged a sit-in protest in the cafeteria Feb. 15 and demanded an audience with management.

SGA vice president Agu Onuma organized the event with other members of the SGA senate.

The quality of food and efficiency of staff has been an injustice to students,” said Onuma. “Service should be better.”

When the students met with cafeteria general manager Lawrence Lisborg, they raised concerns about the cafeteria’s lack of variety, poor food quality and poor sanitation.

Mass communication senior Sean Kornegay said sanitation was a major issue for him, and he is not impressed with the efforts to keep the cafeteria clean.

“Students come in to sit and eat, and have to choose the least dirty spot to eat at,” said Kornegay. As if on cue, a roach crossed in front of Lisborg during the meeting. When students recognized the irony and pointed it out to Lisborg, he laughed.

On Dec. 12 the Durham Health Department inspectors gave the cafeteria a score of 90 percent, an A-.

The department randomly inspects restaurants and school cafeterias four times a year. The highest score possible is 101. If a score drops below 70 percent the facility can be closed.

A four-year history of inspection scores at Pearson provided by the Durham County Health Department shows that the cafeteria received its lowest average score — a 90 — in 2005. This compares to an average of 95.5 in 2004, 93.5 in 2003 and 96 in 2002.

Durham high school cafeterias combined received an average score of 97.5 in 2005.

Lisborg said Pearson’s less-than-perfect score can be attributed to the building, not to the quality or sanitation of the food. He said that if certain repairs were made, the score would increase significantly.

But according to Sept. 7 and Dec. 12 inspection reports, major violations centered on food protection and storage, especially temperature violations.

“A 90 isn’t bad. It’s an A,” said Marvin Hobbs, an environmental health specialist with the Durham County Health Department.

Students also said they wanted to see a greater selection of food in the cafeteria, including seafood, steak and fresher vegetables.

“Black people suffer greatly from heart disease and stroke,” said nursing sophomore Portia Woodson. “Why are we served burgers and french fries every day, instead of healthier alternatives?”

Lisborg said the staff had served veggie burgers and chicken patties in the past, but beef burgers were more popular with the students.

Another complaint was slow service. Onuma said that often there is not enough staff to keep lines moving.

One cafeteria staff member, Boyd Taylor, took issue with the way students arranged the protest.

“Students should have gotten a spokesperson and taken the issue to the proper authorities and discussed them,” said Taylor. “Some of the issues are legitimate, but do it in the proper way.”

But some students feel that the sit-in was productive.

“Students have been complaining for so long, and it’s great to see people take a stand for what they really want,” said psychol-ogy junior Kai Christopher.

Onuma, the frontman of the cafeteria sit-in, said that if conditions do not change then SGA senate will begin organizing a boycott of the cafeteria.

He said he is using the sit-in as a platform to begin protesting other issues on campus. “Change starts at home,” he said.